Kimchi fried rice (kimchi bokkeum bap)

Since you can usually throw kimchi fried rice together using leftovers it’s an amazingly easy, quick and economical dish – and still packs a big flavour punch.

Credit: Billy Law

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 150 g (5½ oz/1 cup) Cabbage kimchi (recipe here), roughly chopped
• 500 g (1 lb 2 oz/2⅔ cups) cooked short-grain rice (see Note)
• 60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) kimchi juice (see Note)
• 2 tbsp Korean chilli paste (gochujang)
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced
• 2 fried eggs, sunny-side up, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium–high heat. Add the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the kimchi and stir-fry for another minute.
2. Add the rice and use the back of a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. Add the kimchi juice and chilli paste and stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until well combined. Reduce the heat if the rice begins to stick to the bottom of the pan.
3. Add the sesame oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add half the spring onion, mix well, then divide the fried rice between two rice bowls. Garnish with the remaining spring onion and top each bowl with a fried egg. Serve immediately.

Note

• When making fried rice, it is best to cook the rice a day ahead then refrigerate overnight to draw out any excess moisture. That way, the rice will be drier and easier to cook as opposed to freshly cooked rice, which often turns soggy when you try to stir-fry it.

• This is a great way to use the juice (liquid) from your homemade kimchi.

Recipe and images from Little Korea: Iconic Dishes and Cult Recipes by Billy Law, Smith Street Books, RRP $49.99

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.